The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-11
A Sleighride Fifty Years Ago.

Mrs. Harris, or Widow Harris, as
she was usually called, lived in the
outskirts OF the village OF BIN a little
low, wood-colored house. Since the
death OF her husband, which occurred
soon after they had come to this place
to live, she had supported herself by
going around among families OF the
town Us nurse, seamstress, or to as
sist at weddings, parties and funerals.
This itinerant sort OF life had given
her an opportunity to become ac-
quainted with much OF the family his
tory of the people OF B. She could
give, the exact date OF most OF the
births, marriages and deaths that oc-
cured in the town within the last
twenty years. But now she was too
old to 90 about in this way, and was
glad to get work to do at home, and
was usually busy making rugs or
weaving carpets.
The widow was sitting by the fire,
one pleasant winter day, knitting on
n red mitten, when there came n rap
at her door. Fastening to open 1t,
she found pretty girl waiting Tor adj
mission.
"Come right in, Helen" she said, 81
am proper glad to see you. Now you
must take your things right of, " she
continued as Helen Weston stepped
into the kitchen, "for you have come
after Welie's mittens and they amt
quite DONE"
Eyes" said Helen, "mother asked
me to come and get the mittens. She
thought they would be finished"
"Well, Ishould have had them done,
but Mrs. Brown sent in last night for
me to make her some cough syrup.
She's got an awful cough, and spent
all the evening fusslng with it, but |
can finish them in an hour"
ooh, | don't mind waiting" said
Helen, seating herself IN nice, old
fashioned rocking chair by the fire,
while Tim, the great tortoiseshell cat,
purred out his content on the rugat
her feet.
The widow Harris was favorite
with the young people OF the village.
They enjoyed going to see her, and
they were sure to be treated to q
lunch of election cake, seed cakes,
or long, spicy, twisted doughnuts.
But best of all were her stories. Such
nice old fashioned stories about we'd
dings, huskings, apple bees, and all
kinds o. country frolics.
After Helen had answered Mrs. Har-
ris' inquiries, as far as she knew, in
regard 10 The health end general news
OF the village, she said, "Now, Mrs.
Harris, please tell me one OF your nice
stories"
"Bless your heart, dear, seems to
me | have told you all the stories ]
know"
80. / am sure you haven't, if you
will only think"
"Well, | made some election cake
this morning and while you are eat
ing some will see what | can think
OF to tell YOU" and Mrs. Harris went
into the pantry, returning with n plate
of cake. which she placed on the stand
near Helen, telling her to help herself.
LET me see-I have told you about
Mary Goodwin's wedding, and Mis-.
Wells house-warming, haven't II"
said Mrs. Harris, as she took up her
knitting again.
"Yes you told me those stories when
was here one day last summer"
81 guess | shall have to tell you
about the sleighride we had over in
Chester, when was n girl. was
thinking about il this morning. 1t
happened more than fifty years ago,
but / remember about it just as il 1T
was last week"
THE youne folks in the village had
been planning ever since snow came to
have a sleighride down to Morse's tav-
ern, that was about ten miles from
Chester, and have a supper and dance.
The time was set to go about the mid
die of January, when there would be
full moon.
ave girls had a great time fixing up
something to wear, but, dear me, we
did not have things as girls do now.
There were not many of us who bad
anything better than homespun, with
out it was Nancy Holmes. She had
SEINE money. She was an orphan.
When her folks died she came to Ches-
ter to live with her cousin. Squire
Bassett, who was her guardian. She
had two boughten calico gowns, and